2 weeks ago

2 weeks ago

2 weeks ago

SEC Morning Five: 11.15.11 Edition

We are in the midst of the 24-hour hoops marathon, a must for all serious college basketball fans. If you are loaded up on coffee, Mountain Dew, and multiple bags of chee-tos then it is likely you have made it through the entire night. Congratulations. But if not, don’t worry. There is still plenty of great hoops remaining. RTC has your guide to all the top games. Oh, maybe it’s not proper etiquette to link to your own website. Well, NBC Sports has a great breakdown of all the best action, as well as a live chat for the entire 24 hours. Seriously, they are going to try and make it through the whole marathon. Should be worth a stop by for the comedy alone. Are you hitting that wall and not sure you can make it any longer? Here are five steps to survival. Read them now. Before you fall asleep. And then come back to reading the Morning Five. This definitely won’t make you snooze.

The Florida Gators are preparing for its Top 10 matchup with #3 Ohio State on Tuesday night by talking about the key matchup at the center position. Sophomore Patric Young recorded the first double-double of his career in the Gators’ season opener against Jackson State, but he wasn’t doing battle in the post with first team All-American Jared Sullinger either. “His size is a really big advantage that he has. He has a really big butt,” Young said of Sullinger. “It really helps him. He gets really good position. Once he ducks you in, you can’t get around him.” Sullinger has a big butt. So many jokes… so little time.

Kentucky coach John Calipari announced today via his website that 6’4″ sophomore guard Stacey Poole will transfer. ” We do everything we can to make sure no one is lost in the shuffle because this program is about every player from top to bottom,” Calipari said. “In Stacey Poole’s case, I feel if he would have stayed, eventually he would have had a breakthrough and had his opportunity.” In a program the magnitude of Kentucky, transfers of seldom-used role players will occur. Although Kentucky’s players and coaching staff are upset about losing a member of the team, this loss will not result in any change on the court. Poole was not likely to play this year, and with the addition of another strong recruiting class imminent at UK next year, he likely would not have seen much action then either.

The fallout from Vanderbilt‘s loss to Cleveland State over the weekend continues, as ESPN.com’s Eamonn Brennan questions why the Commodores didn’t fall further in the polls. The ESPN/USA Today poll, released on Monday, has Vandy ranked #20. Brennan’s dispute with the ‘Dores ranking has as much to do with the teams below Vandy in the polls as it does with its terrible play against CSU. Or maybe Vandy’s clinging to the Top 25 could be “more a sign of respect for a tough Cleveland State team,” per Brennan. Regardless, there was no more polarizing team in the preseason than the Vanderbilt Commodores, and with play like what we witnessed on Sunday, it is tough to argue that the ‘Dores should have a spot at all in any poll. Vandy looks to rebound tonight at home against Bucknell.

The Mikan Drillhas a great breakdown of one reason why Vanderbilt struggled against Cleveland State. Many questioned how Vanderbilt would play with the absence of a post game until Festus Ezeli returns, but the offense struggled in part due to the frustration that the Viking defenders caused Commodore star John Jenkins. Jenkins was fronted by the defense the entire game. Cleveland State even gave up the occasional backdoor cut to Jenkins in order to limit his outside shooting. When Jenkins struggles to get an open look from outside, the entire Vandy offense has difficulty establishing a good rhythm. Check out the X’s and O’s breakdown for more on the defensive strategy CSU employed in containing Jenkins.